The Links in a Chandelier
by WinterThorns
Summary: Ruby Rose is the single most important thing in the world to Weiss, and she knows that, but sometimes showing her can be difficult. Especially when running her business starts to take up too much of Weiss' time.


The Links in a Chandelier

The chandelier hung loosely from the ceiling. It was always and odd ornament to her, it never truly made sense to her. Hanging from the ceiling so delicately by a single chain every bit of its contents so fragile almost as if a gust of wind would shatter every small crystal into thousands of pieces that would scatter on the ground, the ground she'd always felt it was trying to reach. The smallest piece always at the bottom a single gem always pointed at the end, like a fingertip reaching towards that ground.

She'd decided that they wanted to break, it made sense everything about the piece and all like it screamed catastrophe. She understood that, wanting to shatter, after all it was all she'd been able to think about for days. Hoping beyond hope that the small chain keeping her afloat would stay together...even as she felt each link grow weaker and weaker...and weaker.

The chain didn't have many links, after all how could it too many and the chandelier would hang too low to be out of sight. That was another odd thing, she mused, they were always out of reach, untouchable, almost invisible...unless you wanted to look unless you were directed to look up then and only then did it serve its purpose drawing small, nearly inaudible gasps. The chain links would clink as it swayed slightly almost giving sound to the sparkle each gem held. It was certainly something to be admired.

And in those moments where it was, nothing compared, all the beauty in the world seemed to fade into darkness in those few fleeting moments.

A sigh enough to sway, enough to rattle, enough to shatter, but only if the links fell apart. The links that made up the chain were everything. They were, arguably what most of the money was spent on, the gems were beautiful sure, but useless without those steel links. There weren't many she thought again, she had very few links. Four. There were four links holding up her chandelier.

The first was the societal expectation placed upon her. Given her status she was expected to carry herself in a certain way, to be a certain way, there was a person she had to be to them. This link appeared to be strong but she knew it wasn't she knew it was reliant on the others, after all as the first link it was the least connected to her chandelier.

The second was her family. Hanging just below and encircled by the first link these were the people who'd raised her. Her family wasn't particularly large or small it was an average size for a family. This link had some rust on it. It was an imperfect link. There were good parts of it yes, so many good parts to this link, so many that filled her with happiness and joy. But then there was the rust, the few blotches on this link that kept it from true perfection, those rested near the top directly touching the first link, the doubts and uncertainties, the...bad memories she would rather not be a supporting part of her being. But they were, without them she wouldn't be the same.

The third link was the first truly strong link. Her friends. This link like the ones before it were not perfect. But perfection wasn't needed this link nearly touched the chandelier it was closer than the others supported the ornament itself more than the previous two had. Her friends were strong and she was strong with them, they were almost everything that she needed. The support this link provided was integral to everything, it had a slight connection to the brightest parts of the second link, it was the first link she felt was truly special.

But there was yet one more, the fourth link. This link was the only one that directly touched the chandelier, naturally this was the only perfect link. Not a blemish on it and strength seemed to emanate from it a purity that could only be found there. It's strength connected directly with the third link where those two met she could hardly tell the difference, but everything about that final link was everything that kept her chandelier in place. That one link carried the most weight, after all the weight of the whole piece was upon that one link. If anything were vital to keeping the chandelier form utterly being destroyed it was that, one, link.

She shuddered thinking about it, that final link...her. She was everything to the girl. Without her, without that link, what was even the point of the others. They were unnecessary if that fourth and final link was present. The rest didn't matter. Not nearly as much as her. Radiant, stunning, bright, the one link that outshone the chandelier itself. The chain was a whole yes one whole support system.

But every system needed a foundation. And _she_ was the girls foundation, the rock that kept her anchored to the rest of the world. To the wide ceiling and it was because of her and her alone that the chandelier could truly be seen in all of its magnificent beauty. If you'd asked Weiss Schnee why a chandelier shone so brightly she would tell you, that fourth link, the only one that truly understood the weight and importance of the chandelier, the one that kept it up, kept her up.

To her everyone was a chandelier, the analogy was an amusing one for her, it let her believe that everyone was as fragile as she was, an equal playing field even. No advantages or disadvantages, just a chain made of so few links. And it was everyone's fourth link that was the most valuable, some were still looking at the chain trying to figure out exactly what their last link was, she knew. She'd known from the moment she'd laid eyes on it. Her chain hadn't been complete until that one silver link was finally unearthed.

That was the other thing that amused her about her particular obsession with comparing people to chandeliers, the links were always silver, a fitting color especially for hers. That silver shine was not earthly mineral, nothing on earth in all of its imperfection could truly shine that bright. Not as brightly as those eyes. Those two eyes contained everything about everything to her. The beautiful face always contorted into some form of a smile no sadness ever shone there, and how could it everything about her was perfect. From her silver eyes to her dark, red fringed hair, Ruby Rose was absolutely everything in her world.

And without that one, final, perfect link. Everything, would shatter.


End file.
